Yen at the Royal Court review: A candid exploration of teenage poverty, sexuality and neglect January 28, 2016 Royal Court | ★★★★☆ In the new post-Benefits Street dispensation, references to “poverty porn” have become commonplace. Initially this meant a sort of guilty pleasure at watching the pitiful antics of a presumably scrounging underclass, but the term has become ever less metaphorical. Earlier this month social commentators flaunted their sincerest outrage at popular trouser-free [...]
Herons at the Lyric Hammersmith review: a soaked stage sets the scene for this brutal play January 28, 2016 Lyric Hammersmith | ★★★★☆ It’s testament to Billy Matthews’ excellent performance in Herons that, just a few minutes into the play, I wanted to clamber up on to the flooded stage and punch his character in the face. He plays Scott, a feral, hateful teen who wages a warped campaign of bullying and wild aggression against [...]
The best games of 2016 – charting the biggest new releases to look forward to this year January 26, 2016 Adrift ETA: 28 March Available on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One Designed to be played with a virtual reality headset, Adrift plonks you inside the helmet of an imperiled astronaut who must solve a number of very pressing space-based mysteries. Namely, why has your space station exploded? And while we’re on the topic, is it [...]
Can a family friendly ski school in the Austrian Alps transform your kids into tiny champions? January 25, 2016 The trouble I’ve found with family ski holidays is, without wanting to put too fine a point on it, my family. Actually, that’s a bit harsh. They aren’t bad skiers. We’ve been able to ski red and blue runs together for two seasons, but always at the pace of my youngest, the five-year-old, which as [...]
The Picture of Dorian Gray at Trafalgar Studios review January 22, 2016 Trafalgar Studios | ★★★☆☆ This year is the 125th anniversary of Oscar Wilde’s only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray. When it was first published, its sexual ambiguity and frequent drug use caused outrage among Victorian society – but then, what didn’t? – and the text was hastily censored by the author. This version, adapted by [...]
Our Brand is Crisis review: Sandra Bullock props up this darkly comic political satire January 22, 2016 Dir. David Gordon Green | ★★★☆☆ Retired political campaign strategist turned kooky pot-spinning hermit Jane Bodine (Sandra Bullock) is coaxed back into the electioneering racket for one last, career-defining escapade. Her mission? Transform the fortunes of a down-in-the-polls Bolivian presidential hopeful, whose previous corruption-sullied term still sticks in the memory of the downtrodden electorate. A [...]
The 5th Wave review: This hollow sci-fi action flick is a weak emulation of The Hunger Games January 22, 2016 Dir. J Blakeson | ★★☆☆☆ Chloe Grace Moretz made her name as Hit Girl, the sweary child assassin in Kick-Ass, who was just as comfortable dropping c-bombs as she was dropping actual bombs. Now, she’s old enough to be getting her nun-chucks into some bad-ass lady roles, but instead she’s stuck with soppy teenagers like Cassie [...]
The Uniwheel is the British-made alternative to last year’s cheap, exploding hoverboard toys January 21, 2016 The last time I attempted to ride a hoverboard, the device turned on me. The supposedly self-balancing bastard hurled my innocent body to the ground and shattered my left elbow before zooming off, filling the air with triumphant bleeps and bloops as it made good its escape. If this was the first punch thrown in [...]
Darbaar restaurant review: Indian fine dining inspired by the banquets of the Indian Royal Court January 20, 2016 Darbaar Snowden Street, EC2A 2DQ WHAT? A smart and upmarket new solo venture from a former Cinnamon Club head chef, Darbaar is an Indian fine dining restaurant with a menu of contemporary dishes inspired by the fancy banquets of the Indian Royal Court. WHERE? A five minute stroll from Liverpool Street station, on the ground [...]
Room review: a woman and her son are held captive by her psychotic abuser January 14, 2016 Dir. Lenny Abrahamson | ★★★★☆ Based on the book by Emma Donoghue, Room is a screenplay adaptation of the gut-wrenchingly bleak story of Joy (Brie Larson), a young woman kidnapped and imprisoned by her psychotic abuser. She shares the tiny, soundproofed space with her spirited and oblivious five-year-old Jack (Jacob Tremblay), whose severely limited understanding of [...]
